


A home in your arms

by purpa



Category: SKAM (Spain), Skam - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22103320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpa/pseuds/purpa
Summary: 'The first time Joana and Cris looked at each other, they both quickly averted their eyes.'How Cris teaches one important thing to Joana.
Relationships: Cris Soto/Joana Bianchi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	A home in your arms

The first time Joana and Cris looked at each other, they both quickly averted their eyes.

It had been one of those sunny and calm Mondays where every student is too tired to listen to Pedro’s slow words on literature, yet alert enough to be lost in their own daydreams. Sat at the very back of the class, Cris had an intense expression on her round face when Joana first laid eyes on her. She noticed the girl’s lips were tight and her eyes were squinted, as if she were thinking hard about something. Joana had lazily been staring at every student from her place next to the door, mentally drawing their features in her head as her fingers moved on her table. Without noticing, Joana’s fingers had stopped their slow motion. No longer drawing invisible lines, she was only staring at the other girl, admiring her beauty. She would avert her eyes soon, she told herself. Still, she looked at the girl for minutes which seemed like hours before she gathered the will and stopped. 

Cris was not her type at all, Joana thought. She was blonde and cute. With her long hair styled in a bun and her rosy lips, she would have been the type to attract handsome boys and been attracted to them. She probably did and she probably was. Yet Joana found herself extremely attracted to the girl nonetheless.

Curiously, with a longing she could not comprehend nor stop, Joana looked at the girl again who had now been staring at the clock on the wall, just above Joana’s head. When Cris’ eyes moved slowly from the wooden clock to Joana’s eyes, Joana felt caught in her action and quickly averted her eyes. The blonde girl did the same and turned her head toward the window. She couldn’t explain it, but Joana’s fingers traced the form of the blonde’s surprised lips on her table for the rest of the class. And when the class ended, she almost scared a boy when she asked for the name of the girl who had been seating next to him, next to the opened window. _Cris Soto._

*

She searched her on Facebook but her account was private. She was only briefly disappointed before remembering that nobody really used Facebook anymore. She knew she did not, so she moved onto the next application and opened instagram. Under the username lo_siento_Cris, Joana found the girl she had been thinking about for the past two weeks. Her pictures were nothing special: Cris at parties, Cris with her friends, Cris alone, smiling. Yet Joana couldn’t stop staring at the girl.

Alone under the warmth of her covers, Joana filled her mind with images of Cris. The girl was something else: so pretty, so charming, so incredibly attractive. Joana sighed and rolled on her bed again. One second with her would remind her of how straight the other girl was, so why bother? Still, Joana looked at the girl’s photos again and again on her instagram page. When she was done, without thinking; she looked at Cris’ story. Apparently, she was at a friend’s birthday party close from Joana’s house…

She didn’t have to ponder about it. Joana put on a pair of dark jeans, changed her green top for a black shirt with a white one underneath and, as if it had always been the plan, went to find her…

*

The next thing she knew, she was smoking outside the place. It was loud and flashy inside that little room. Joana was not an introverted person, but she had decided to stay outside for a while. She didn’t know the birthday guy and the place was crowded, she could tell. So, she sat alone on the stairs, head up high, looking at the dark sky. Even if she didn’t get to see Cris today, it wouldn’t be a loss. The night was beautiful with its many stars and the distant sound of people laughing and dancing was as great as the music playing loudly. But… it would have been nice to have glanced at her even once.

When Joana looked back at the door, she saw her. Dressed in a black sleeveless turtleneck and looking as cute as ever, she was talking to the security man whom was telling her to keep her drinks inside the club. She had her hair tied in a high braid which allowed more exposure of her face. Once she posed her drink on a table inside and left the room, her eyes started searching for a place to sit. Soon enough, she sat next to Joana.

Joana decided that this was the moment. Under this dark night and those brilliant stars, over the loud music and despite the nervous feeling building in her stomach, she had to talk to her.

Cris, beautiful Cris Soto. Could they be friends for the night?

*

When Cris opened the door, her smile was coy and her eyes uncertain. She looked at Joana briefly and then looked at the floor before inviting the other girl inside. Joana did not wait to be told twice and entered the tiny room. Now, Cris was making small talk, all nervous and jittery. Joana could not stop the smile on her face. How lovely she was, her Cris Soto...

‘That bar, specifically,’ Joana laughed when Cris proposed to go to the same place where they had ran off without paying some times ago. It was also at that place that Joana had drawn Cris pretty face on a napkin. And it was at that place where she had wanted to take Cris’ face in her hands and bring her lips to hers to finally kiss her.

But she had waited back then.

‘I don’t really care what we do,’ Joana lied.

She wanted one thing and one thing only, but she would wait again. She couldn’t scare Cris like she knew she was capable of doing. Even though she wanted to kiss her like they had done underwater and outside the pool and next to Cris’ bus stop and close to Cris’ home and… Oh, if only Cris knew the things she wanted to do to her lips, to her skin, to her entire body…She would run away. Wouldn’t she?

‘Me neither,’ Cris’ tiny voice said as her smile grew bigger and her eyes shone with something akin to hunger.

It was simply too much for Joana.

Joana dropped her bag on the floor and with one simple motion grabbed Cris’ face with her hands. She pressed her lips on her girlfriend’s lips and kissed her slowly, tenderly and with a passion she was relieved she could now express. Cris grabbed Joana’s shoulders tightly. It was adorable, the way she followed Joana’s every move, the way her small steps moved towards Joana’s warmth, the way her body gently slammed Joana against the wall and turned her around, the way they danced and danced and kissed and smiled against each other’s lips until they were both in Cris’ pink and violet room, under her warm covers, caressing each other, saying,

‘Kiss me…’

And doing so lovingly.

*

It was always so cold in the hospital. Joana hated it: the _bip bip_ of the machines monitoring her body and the transparent liquids going inside her veins. It felt like a reminder that she was being kept alive against her will. Her parents’ scared and worried expressions never helped either. It was all so painful.

They had been yelling at each other for hours. Joana barely remembered what she had told her parents; save for some words she could never forget, words which had felt so real at the time but disgusted her at the present moment.

‘Honey, please. Talk to us.’

Her mother’s voice was so sweet. Even when Joana said cruel things to her, her mother reciprocated with love only. Her father, next to her mother, was ever so quiet. Maybe Joana could learn from the both of them. Love and silence. Love…

‘I want…’ she tried.

Why couldn’t she think of anything else but her, at a time like this? How could she expose Cris to a sight like this? Cris, in this hospital room, her eyes searching Joana’s weak body. How ugly of a sight Joana was, and how cruel it would be to call for Cris now. Still, Joana wanted the other girl’s comfort. She wanted to feel as she had felt in Cris’ arms before. Those precious moments where Cris had kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly, it had been enough to hold Joana to reality for a while. More than that, Joana had felt happy in her company.

‘Do you want me to call Cris?’ her mother asked slowly, as if unsure.

‘Do you think…Can I do this?’

Joana’s father shook his head and left the room. Her mother followed him a moment later.

When Joana woke up again, it was to the abrupt sound of the door opening and to a panicked Cris at the corner of the room. Joana had made the choice to invite Cris inside her world. Maybe it had been the wrong decision. She might even regret it the very next day. But right now, she wanted to feel loved…to feel that there was one person in this world she had not yet scared away nor hurt.

She opened her arms and Cris came to her. How sweet, to feel that you mattered to someone to such an extent. To think Cris had run away from her home to come see her. To think Cris was crying warm tears because she felt for her. Joana knew her parents felt the same, but they were family. Cris was not. But was she? Her family. Could their love for each other bind them at this level? Joana had to make a choice…

Surrounded by Cris arms, by Cris love, she knew she had to choose. Cris had chosen to leave her home to come to her. Joana wanted to believe she was home for Cris. Now it was her turn to make Cris her family.

But when Joana thought about her parents’ scared and worried expressions, when Joana remembered how her father had left the room silently at the thought of inviting yet another person into Joana’s mess, when Joana thought of how her loving mother had followed him quietly, she knew the choice was already made. She couldn’t allow it.

But she would allow it for tonight only.

*

Cris gave her the book, the book that had started it all, the book they had worked on for literature class together. And inside of it, she had written words that were so beautiful and warm; Joana didn’t think she deserved them.

‘We will take it one moment at a time,’ Cris said reassuringly. ‘Minute by minute.’

Joana didn’t understand anything about love but she knew she was feeling it. How sweet, the way Cris hugged her loosely, yet she still felt like a solid anchor. She kissed Joana’s forehead again and Joana felt like giving up…No, giving in…

She would give in and love Cris as much as she could and when times would get hard, they would go through it all together. Joana would give herself to Cris and hope it would be enough. But she knew it would be, Cris had never been too demanding. She was light and joy. She was impulsive and loving. She was always true to herself. So when she had said _I love you_ to Joana, the words she had written inside the book Joana was holding tightly in her hands, Joana knew she had meant it.

Cris, beautiful Cris Soto. She was hers, after all.

*

The supper had been perfect. Amira had had a smile plastered on her face and it seemed like it wouldn’t go away anytime soon. All those people had come for her, after all.

It was late during the night now, but the music was still playing and everybody was still dancing and laughing. Outside, the brilliant stars were illuminating the dark sky and the multiple lanterns gave a warm feeling to the rooftop. Joana couldn’t believe how many people had come to the supper. It was true that it was a party and parties were always appreciated, but under this superficial pretext, Joana could see in everybody’s eyes that they were happy to be there for Amira. Ramadan was almost done and they all had wanted to celebrate its closure with her, as friends and family.

If Joana had learned one thing from Cris, it was that a family came in different colours. Cris had opened her arms to Joana and had given her a love so strong and pure Joana couldn’t hesitate anymore. She knew they were friends, lovers and family. But more than that, Joana had gained multiple friendships thanks to Cris.

She appreciated Viri and her colourful kindness. She would sometime say inappropriate comments, but never with ill intent. Her pink dresses and warm smile made Joana feel like she was somehow at home with her. Nora was ever so lovely, always ready to defend her friends with her brilliant mind. She was so intelligent and cultured. But the amazing thing was that it never intimidated Joana. She could tell the girl was very humble and used her knowledge to help others, even those she didn’t know. Eva was simply amazing. She was the one who reminded Joana the most of Cris. Always ready to party, to tell a joke, to laugh and ask if they wanted to go out. But she was also very mature. Joana could tell she had suffered a lot and it had made her grow emotionally. Even though Joana had not asked Cris, she didn’t need to; she felt Eva was probably the most emotionally mature thanks to her experience with loneliness. And Amira… The star of the night. She was simply too kind. She was always so calm and quiet. But when she talked, it was with a sort of warmth and light Joana had known only through her mother. Still, Amira was hilarious, telling jokes so cleaver Joana knew she was brilliant. Even though she had been the reason for this party, Amira was so selfless and kind; it was as if she had given the party herself to give joy to every person present. Joana had yet to really talk to the boys and to Cris’ brother, but she knew that if they were in Cris life, they ought to be as great as Cris herself.

Sat next to Cris, Viri, Nora, Eva and Amira, Joana suddenly felt an intense heat inside her. It was a warm feeling so comforting and pure, Joana had to close her eyes to calm down. She knew at that instant one thing clearly: she had found her people.

‘Joana,’ Cris whispered in her ear as the others laughed at a joke Eva had told, ‘are you alright? Do you want us to go inside for a bit?’

Joana only kissed her as an answer. The kiss was intense and slow. She knew the others were trying not to cheer them and were pretending not to stare, but Joana couldn’t stop herself. Cris turned her body, opening her lips to Joana, giving herself to her completely.

A moment later, Joana moved away. She could feel the warmth still there, perhaps for another reason this time. Cris face was beautiful. As per usual, her cheeks, her ears and her neck were a lovely shade of red. She smiled at Joana timidly and Joana smiled back.

‘That was…’ Cris started.

‘Intense!’ Eva cheered. ‘Wow!’

‘Maybe you girls could use Cris’ room, next time?’ Nora teased and winked at Cris.

‘Why?’ Viri asked seriously. ‘I like seeing them kiss.’

All the girls exploded with laughter as Viri frowned. Cris even said one of her famous _Oi_ and the others laughed even more. But as quickly as Viri had frowned, an amused smile had appeared on her lips and she was now laughing with all of them happily. 

‘Sorry,’ Joana said finally when she calmed down. ‘I just felt really happy and had to kiss her... It was weird.’

Nora smiled again, this time knowing and inviting. She raised her glass filled with orange juice in the air and said, ‘Let’s give a toast, then?’

‘To what?’ Viri asked as she ate a piece of cake.

‘To love, obviously!’ Said Eva.

‘No, to friendship,’ said Cris, a serious expression on her face and her drink in the air too.

‘I say to love and friendship,’ Nora concluded.

Amira raised her glass and stared. Her eyes searched Viri’s, Nora’s, Eva’s, Cris’ and at last, Joana’s. She smiled at her slowly and kindly.

‘To family.’

They all cheered in unison and clinked their glasses.

‘Yup!’

‘To family!’

‘This is a great summary, don’t you girls think?’

‘Love, friends, family!’

‘Hip, hip, hurrah!’

‘So corny Viri!’

‘No, let’s do it together.’

‘Alright…’

‘One last time!’

The six of them raised their glasses in the air and clinked them excitedly. Laughter joining the music and stars above their heads, they all looked at each other as they yelled,

‘Hip, hip, hurrah!’

To family, Joana thought.

*

**Author's Note:**

> There are almost no stories for the two of them... And I really loved them! So here...almost a year later :).


End file.
